It really took us more than a few sips to fall into the depths of this brew but when we did it pulled us in hard. Perhaps the only thing that left us waiting was the slight lack of crispness most Saisons have, that is where the barrel aging element come in and provides such a deep character, we almost got lost in it.

The standard golden amber with a quickly dissipating head. Some decent carbonation on the tongue, however. A small pour at a time seems to work well.

Woody and fruity. Tastes like fruit leather, if they made it out of oranges. The whiskey flavor shows up quite nicely in the aftertaste. Put the glass down for a few minutes, and when you come back-- it's barrel time. Quite rich and tangy. The Belgian yeasty taste is quite nice. Very drinkable and flavorful.

They call this "barrel series no. 1" so it will be interesting to see what they do next. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Grapevine Liquor on Monaco.

Pours a murky orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, fruit, yeast, and slight whiskey aromas. Taste is much the same with fruit and whiskey flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness and an alcohol kick on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with an interesting barrel aging idea having a saison done in whiskey barrels.

APPEARANCE: Bright orange in color with a nice, white head that adds a good finger and a half to the top of the beer. It looks more like a Double IPA than a Saison. There is pretty decent head retention that eventually fades into a thin cap covering the whole surface of the beer.

SMELL: My first impression is orange peel with vanilla. But upon closer inspection, there is a ton of wood in the nose here. There is also just a tiny hint of funk as well. All of the smells here blend together perfectly. It doesn't get much better than this.

TASTE: There is so much going on in here. Plenty of sweet fruit flavors hit the palate right off the bat. The orange from the nose leads the way, but a lot of other citrus and tropical fruits dance around the tongue as well. Spicy and bitter hop flavors help to provide a balance to this beer as a touch of vanilla and oak round it out.

MOUTHFEEL: Wow, this beer really goes everywhere. It start off sweet and then finishes with a dry, sparkling finish slightly tart finish that causes a very slight pucker.

OVERALL: This beer really has everything I need in a beer. Fruit flavors from both the yeast and the hops, just enough malt to balance, a little spice and a nice dose of vanilla and oak from the barrel. Nearly perfect in it's complexity. One of my new all-time favorites.